Wisdom as a Delight

“Then I was by him, [as] one brought up [with him]: and I was daily [his] delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights [were] with the sons of men.” (Pr 8:30-31 AV)

Proverbs chapter eight is wisdom speaking as though it were a person.  The intent, some say, is to draw a comparison of wisdom portrayed as a woman against the strange woman who represents sin.  There are several theological considerations here.  Wisdom, as brought up with the Creator, makes wisdom eternal.  Wisdom as by Him shows that wisdom is the very nature of God.  Wisdom is one of His many attributes.  Divine wisdom was also part of the creation process of almighty God.  What struck me this morning is one word.  Delight.  In particular, if wisdom is the delight of God, how much more should it be for us.

The word ‘delight’ is an interesting word.  Webster’s 1828 dictionary states, “To affect with great pleasure; to please highly; to give or afford high satisfaction or joy; as, a beautiful landscape delights the eye; harmony delights the ear; the good conduct of children, and especially their piety, delights their parents.”  This means wisdom is more than mere exercise of principles.  Wisdom is meant to be delightful.  We often look at wisdom as a duty to begrudge.  Wisdom, so we think, robs us of the pleasures of life.  Yet in another of Solomon’s works, The Book of Ecclesiastes, living for pleasure alone is a vanity.  Hedonism may be attractive and even offer short-term pleasure, but in the end, the cost is always higher than the pleasure received.  Wisdom as a delight suggests that in God’s view, acting in accordance with His holy character is a delight.  Not only is it a delight to God, but the implication is that living in wisdom is a delight to mankind.

Wisdom is often seen as a negative thing.  Or, at best, neutral.  It is seen as something to do or be simply to avoid trouble or to be more right than wrong.  Wisdom is seen as a duty, and neglecting wisdom is something to be avoided.  Mostly because of consequences, wisdom is seen as a duty to make one’s life a bit better than living as a fool.  Solomon shares that wisdom is far more than that.  Wisdom is, or should be, a delight.  It should be a pleasure.  Like my technical drawing class, scoring a perfect score was almost impossible.  The closer I got, the more pleasure it brought.  The same is true with wisdom.  The closer we get to Christlikeness, the more pleasure it should bring.